Bringing in the New Year with Christ

The New Year

As the final hours of the year 2025 draw to a close, many people find themselves reflecting on the year past, and planning for the year ahead. It is a common thing in our culture to have this idea of “New year, new you” as people look upon the new year with high hopes and ambitions of self improvement.

While setting goals for yourself, and working to achieve those goals are certainly good things, it is important that as followers of Christ, we remember that we have been made the “new us.” As 2 Cor 5:16-19 says:

English Standard Version Chapter 5

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Praise God that through Christ, we have been made anew. Whether the year that is ending was the best of your life, the worst of your life, or somewhere in between, if you follow Christ, you have been reconciled with God, transformed from the person you used to be. I think this is important for us to remember. Too many times, we find ourselves dwelling on the past. The areas that we have fallen short, the things we shouldn’t have done that we did, or the things we should have done that we didn’t. While in reality, the rolling over the calendar has no effect on this, what does is the fact that God considers you a new creation that has been reconciled to him.

There is no resolution that we could make, much less actually keep that would be as powerful as what God has done for us through his Son, but as we look forward to this new year, let us remember the instructions given to the Church at Colossae in Col. 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12–17 ESV

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.15

Here, we see Paul imparting wisdom on the Church at Colossae that still rings true today. We should be compassionate, kind, humble, meek ant patient. I dare say that I am likely not the only one that struggles with more than one of those, but as continue to try to live the lives that we are called to, it is important that we keep these things in mind and pray that our hearts, minds, and actions reflect these virtues.

We are called to forgive. It is not easy, especially in a culture that seems to thrive on conflict and retribution, but we are instructed to forgive as we have been forgiven.

The next two parts always stand out to me “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.”

What did Jesus himself say was the greatest commandment?

Matthew 22:37–39 “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

It is made clear time and time again, including expressly by our Lord and Savior, that love should be one of the defining characteristics of his followers, but we see example after example of the shortcoming of love from those professing to be His disciples. Let His love shine through us. Let it be evident in everything that we do that we are set apart by the love we have for one another based on the love that He has for us.

In a world over run with distraction and stimulation, it is often hard to find peace. Scripture tells us that the peace of God surpasses all understanding, and it is important that as we go through the peaks and valleys of life, as we deal with being bombarded from all sides by the pressures and the fast moving nature of life itself that we seek that peace. True peace is only found in Christ, and the only way to learn about that peace, is to grow draw nearer to Him.

Paul gives us insight on how we can draw nearer at the end of vs. 15 and into 16 where he says to be thankful. Our culture craves more and more, it tells us to never be content and always strive for the latest and greatest, the biggest and best. But we are instructed to be thankful in all things. To recognize that all we have and all that we are is from God, and to thank Him for all of the blessings that he has given us.

Paul goes on in 16 to say

English Standard Version Chapter 3

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

How then are we to let the word of Christ dwell in us, if we do not know what it says? As we study, pray, and meditate on His word, and we hold it our heart, the word will dwell in us. It is the truth that will guide us not only to the life that we are called to lead, but to the peace that offered by life in Christ.

I do not think it any coincidence that Paul finishes by instructing us to sing praises, be thankful, and do everything in Jesus’s name. The more we allow Him to infiltrate our lives, the closer we continue to draw to Him.

As I wrap up, I pray that as we welcome in the new year that we all focus on what it is that is most important. That we seek to draw nearer to God. I want to conclude by reading a passage that always fills me with hope, and I pray that it does the same for you. Whether 2025 was great to you, or whether you’re happy to see it end, whether you are excited to see what 2026 brings, or whether you find yourself wondering what else can go wrong, remember, that Christ offers the peace to see us through any storm and that no matter how or when you have fallen short, He offers grace and mercy:

Titus 3:3-7

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.